Curmudgeon wrote: The Cat dealer I worked for had a Komatsu dealer right next door and at the time the sales guys used to laugh about them. Not any more. In fact, Komatsu now builds equipment in Newberry SC, just outside of Columbia.
They also had a factory in my home town of Covington for a while. Unfortunately they weren't able to keep it open through the recession.
fast_eddie_72 wrote:mad_machine wrote: sadly, that is the case with a LOT of management anymore. They are so concerned with short term profit.. they never look beyond itIn my experience, with publicly traded companies, it has little to do with management. Those companies are driven by stock prices and stock prices work quarter to quarter. You can't go to the street with a missed number and explain that you made good decisions for the future. You may be right, but the guy who replaces you will be the one who benefits from your wisdom 'cause you'll be out on your ear with nothing but a $10M severance package to save you.
When one gets rewarded in stock (since it's not treated as normal pay, so companies like to give it out), managers tend to manage in stock, as opposed to sales. See Jac the knife/ shareholder value management.
(one of the many things that prevents a real "free market" or "supply and demand" style economics)
well, I just want to leave my .02 here...Shamelessly cut and pasted from the other made in USA thread from last week...
What I said:The Company I work for produces goods here, in Mexico, and in China. Custom stuff is made here. Less custom stuff is made in Mexico. Bulk items are made in China.
Why?
Custom stuff is made here in Ohio because the custom stuff has to get to a customers door in 2 weeks or less...good luck making that happen when its made in Mexico, or has to take the slow boat from China.
Why dont we make everything here? The labor we need isnt terribly specialized, hell most people "know" how to do it already. Its the fact that Americans in general wont do perform this labor at a reasonable rate...tell an American in our plant that they need to do it better/faster, and theyll tell you to take this job and shove it.
Mexicans are willing to do the labor at a reasonable wage, at a reasonable rate, with a reasonable quality expectation in mind. And we pay the Mexicans what we pay our Americans - better than Minimum wage. Just tossing that out there for the bleeding heart-ers.
I take a lot of pride in the fact that at the end of the day, we pay Americans to make goods here in America. But it astonishes me that people, in this job-economy, are willing to walk away from a pretty good job, getting a very decent wage, with a good benefits package. SO often in fact, that we have no choice but to send the work elsewhere.
Before anyone wants to mention supply-side econ with me with regards to pay vs labor output for the position - we have raised the starting labor rate 3 times in as many years, trying like mad to keep the jobs here. Doesnt work. Attrition rates are the same. Americans dont want to do manual labor - at least not the stuff we are talking about in my plant. ANd we arent digging ditches or pouring steel - the jobs have you sitting at a desk, working with your hands, in a really very relaxed position. I am not really comfortable saying what exactly it is, but its unlikely that you would ever break a sweat doing this task - you could do it just as well at 80 years old as you could at 18 - just have to have some basic knowledge (which we will teach you if you want to learn), ok-sh eyesight, and the ability to read directions.
SO while I agree, buy American as often as you can - be vigilant, pay attention, and make the effort. But regulations and labor wages are not ALWAYS the factor that sends jobs elsewhere.
sadly, I know people like that. I work with a couple of them here in Atlantic City. The "casuals" like myself, who work on demand work our asses off to make a good impression and get called back next week (at least those of us in the top 5% of the list do) but there are many "full timers" people who's jobs are secure, who do as little as possible to keep their jobs...
It amazes me that in this economy and with tens of people who would go into a deathmatch for your job, that they would treat what they have like an entitlement.
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